Luka Doncic nailed a step-back 3-pointer over Rudy Gobert with 3.0 seconds left to seal an 18-point comeback for the Mavs in Game 2.
• Download the NBA app
• Match details: DAL 109, MIN 108
Minneapolis — There were initial roars of encouragement, followed by silence of disbelief. The mood inside Target Center suddenly changed because Luka Doncic was ruthless.
And cruel. How else to describe what he did to the Timberwolves, their fans and Rudy Gobert after leading the Mavericks to a Game 2 victory and possibly the Western Conference finals?
Luka sealed the win with a step-back 3-pointer that sailed just past Gobert's sad fingertips with 3.8 seconds left in the game… and wow.
The Mavericks finished halfway through this series and will play the next two at home because they were the more clinical team in the fourth quarter, never panicking despite trailing for most of the game.
Mavs coach Jason Kidd chastised his players after the team was down 18 points at the half, but he also reminded them “we're still in the game.”
It was a great comeback by the Mavericks, a game the Timberwolves obviously wanted to win and they were still down by five with 66 seconds left in the road game.
“We just had to be together and bring positive energy,” Luca said.
As the buzzer sounded moments after Timberwolves' Naz Reid hit the target for the tying goal, the public address announcer at Target Center told fans to go home safely, adding, “We'll see you next week.”
With the Timberwolves heading to Dallas trailing 2-0, that wasn't the case. It was aspiration.
Here are five takeaways from the Mavs' 109-108 win that gave them a commanding lead in the series.
1. Luka vs. A tough matchup for anyone
When Luka has the ball in a game-deciding situation, defenses have a choice: double-team him or lose the game.
Yes, that rule still applies when Luka is a four-time Kia Defensive Player of the Year. especially At 7 feet, Gobert (like any big man) is isolated near the 3-point line and beyond.
And then the expected thing happened: Luka went into isolation, took a few dribbles, created space as Gobert faked a drive, and then… whoosh.
Kidd: “We talked about going for the 2-pointer, but with how he went at Gobert, I knew the step-back was coming. Luka is a special player and I love these moments.”
Luka: “I saw some space so I decided to take the three-point shot.”
That was surprising because for most of the quarter, the Timberwolves had Mike Conley and Anthony Edwards on Luka's attack, and when Luka stared down Gobert from 30 feet away, too far away for the Timberwolves to send emergency help.
“We switched on the pick-and-roll. I was in isolation. I let my team down. They believed I could stop them,” Gobert said.
Luka, as is common in these situations, got emotional (see his reaction after leading the Clippers to a buzzer-beater win in the bubble) and yelled in Gobert's direction, essentially saying, “You can't guard me.”
Luka explained: “I was speaking Slovenian.”
2. Ali looked 22 years old
It was a nightmare for Edwards, who missed shots in three straight games (5-of-17 for 21 points) and, to make matters worse, lost the ball in key moments on Friday.
With the Timberwolves leading by two with 12.8 seconds left, Edwards, who was growing increasingly frustrated as the game progressed, broke his pose and threw a pass to the front row. The Timberwolves never fully recovered after that.
“I'm turning down a lot of shots, especially from the mid-range,” he said. “I'm just making the right play, and the right play might just be to take the shot.”
Edwards is an up-and-coming player who took down Kevin Durant in the first round and Nikola Jokic in the semifinals, but he's finding it hard to have the same effect on Luka or Kyrie Irving. Edwards, unlike the previous rounds, is not the best or second-best player on the court.
He shot 11-of-33 from the field throughout the series. If you add in Game 7 against Denver, he shot 17-of-57.
“I'm not stumbling. I'm not stressing too much about whether I'm going to do well or not. I'm just going to keep playing the right way,” he said.
Anthony Edwards said he was fine when asked about possible fatigue, but Charles Barkley and the rest of Inside the NBA aren't so sure.
3. Kylie dodged one and made one
Life in basketball can change direction in an instant, like when Kyrie is dribbling with the ball, and he experienced the flip side of this in Game 2 when he came damn close to hitting the GOAT (lowercase).
Any dreams of a comeback were initially dashed when Kyrie missed two free throws with 1:44 left in the game and the Mavs were down by three points. Kyrie missed a total of three free throws in the quarter, a surprising showing for a player who has a career free throw percentage of 88%.
But it's good to have Luca on the team and helping us out.
Either way, Kylie found another positive.
“The fans went wild,” he said, referring to fast-food promotions. “I think we gave them free chicken, right?”
And then Kyrie came back with a corner 3-pointer with 65 seconds left to cut the deficit to two and then the assist on Luka's game-winning point, a testament to his poise, talent and ability to mentally reset.
All was well after the win, and in the postgame locker room, Kidd jokingly interrupted the celebration with, “Three free throws, 1-2-3.”
4. KAT was a bystander
In a crucial moment in Game 2, as the Timberwolves advanced to the Western Conference Finals for the second time in franchise history, one of the best players in franchise history was sitting on the bench.
Towns shot just 4 of 16 from the field, prompting coach Chris Finch to opt to use Reid and Kyle Anderson in the closing seconds, even though the Timberwolves were trailing by one on their final possession and desperately needed the shooting touch of their second-leading scorer.
“I'm all about winning, so I'll do whatever it takes to win,” said Towns, who sat on the bench for the final 8 minutes, 40 seconds of the game. “It's coach's decision. I don't question it for a second.”
Towns and Edwards are a combined 30 percent shooting through the two games of this series, so if you're looking for why the Wolves are in such a predicament, start with their two best players.
5. Nas just wasn't enough
Reed, who was named the Kia Sixth Man of the Year, was the Timberwolves' best player in Game 2 and, in some ways, deserved to be the hero.
Not only did Reed struggle with the Mavericks from deep (making 7 of 9 3-point attempts), but he also shot perfectly on the game's final possession.
I caught the iron.
Kidd: “When they gave the ball to Twink, I was like, 'Oh no,' and then the ball bounced back to us.”
Luca: I was just stressed.
That wasn't the only thing working in the Mavericks' favor late in the game. With 47 seconds left and Dallas trailing by two, the ball was ruled out on the Mavericks' end, after Kidd's appeal that he had touched Jaden McDaniels before the ball was out was upheld.
The Mavs not only had some chances, they took them, and now they have the series lead after two games.
* * *
Shaun Powell has been covering the NBA for over 25 years. You can email him at Here, the archive is here And follow him X.
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect those of the NBA, its clubs, or Warner Bros. Discovery.
